Roasted Mushroom and Brie Soup

Classic and comforting creamy mushroom soup gets an update with the addition of roasted mushroom, plenty of white wine, and brie.

Today I share with you a soup recipe that is an adaptation of a recipe published by Closet Cooking back in 2014. It’s incredible.

A really sad thing happened to me recently- strolling through Pinterest for ideas I happened upon a promising-looking roasted mushroom and brie soup. I made it twice and was so happy with it that I took to leaving an absolutely glowing and ecstatic review on the food blog where I found it. Afterward, a few days ago, I stumbled across another roasted mushroom brie soup on Closet Cooking, which had the exact same ingredients and quantities and cooking methods- but it was posted an entire year earlier than the version I had seen first. I returned to the first recipe that had received my accolades, for comparison and to check for credit, and it immediately became clear to me that that blogger, who shall remain nameless because I am kind, ripped off Closet Cooking without giving credit where it was due, and passed it off as their own work.

It really buttered my biscuits. Because I am still relatively new at this, I look to established food bloggers as examples of best practices. And I guess that I naively imagined that we are all rooting for one another, tied harmoniously by our love of food and our shared efforts. It was kind of like learning Santa isn’t real. Not to mention that Kevin Lynch over at Closet Cooking has been working tirelessly for years to create and post over 2,000 recipes for our free enjoyment, and I think he deserves a lot of credit for carving out such a vast place on the internet. If you’re unfamiliar with Closet Cooking, please go pay him a visit! I have been following his blog on and off for many years, and if someday down the road I ever have forged enough of a presence as a blogger that it came to my attention that he had even visited my blog, I would be just tickled to death.

When it comes to recipe blogging, there is so much gray area with this stuff. While I strive hard to create totally new and unique recipes, sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t- the truth is that pretty much everything has been done before. And we bloggers, like you, mine for recipes and inspiration from other bloggers. In fact, most recipes you’ll find on cooking blogs like mine have been adapted from someone else’s work- it’s all part of a greater and fundamentally lovely and open-source conversation about home cooking. It connects us by our shared passion, and it’s a good thing! However, the hope is that each blogger has enough integrity to credit and link to the creator, but the sad truth is that bloggers rip each other off all the time, passing things off as their own. Sometimes, they even profit from it. The realm of food blogs is so over-saturated that it is just an internet-version of the old, wild west- this kind of sad, cheating behavior is to be expected, I have come to learn. All of the recipes that I post that are adapted from other bloggers’ recipes will have a statement saying so at the bottom of the recipe card, and a link to the original. But maybe I should start being even more obvious about it!

That’s all the righteous idignation I have for today. Let’s talk about this soup because I am cold! I love this roasted mushroom and brie soup- it is so creamy and satisfying without being heavy, and it is even better the next day as leftovers. How often does that happen? If you’re a longtime fan of mushroom soups like I am, then you’re going to fall in love with the addition of the white wine and melty, funky brie- it tickles the taste buds and gives the whole thing an undeniable air of luxury.

The thing I find the most unique about it is the added initial step of roasting the mushrooms- it gives them a satisfying meaty chew, and the caramelization that comes from roasting them first gives the overall flavor oodles of depth and complexity. It’s a step that you most definitely do not want to skip!

Adaptations that I made to this soup include doubling the quantities of the white wine and the brie (hello…native Wisconsite, here), and tweaking a few other amounts. Also, instead of blending all of the roasted mushrooms up into the soup, I reserve half of them to leave intact and add at the end. I like to have something to chew on!

That’s it for this week- hope you’re all enjoying your life and being affectionate toward your loved ones and eating delicious things!

Toss the quartered mushrooms with olive oil in a large bowl, then spread evenly on a cookie sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, then toss, then continue roasting for another 15 minutes, or until mushrooms are firm and caramelized.

After flipping the mushrooms and returning them to the oven, melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and thyme and stir for 1 minute, then sprinkle in the flour. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.

Pour in the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Stir and scrape continuously until wine thickens. Pour in the broth.

When mushrooms have finished roasting, add just half of them to the pot of broth. Set the rest aside. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Reduce heat again to low. Add brie chunks and stir until melted. The bits of rind will not melt, but will float to the top. Use a slotted spoon to remove them and discard.

Puree the soup using a stick blender (or transfer to regular blender) until texture is even. Add the remaining mushrooms and the cream and stir to combine.